Italian Chickpea Soup

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This simple Italian Chickpea Soup recipe with carrots, onion, spinach, and rosemary is healthy, nutritious, comforting, and easy to make. Low in calories, and can be made vegan, this gluten-free soup will be a hit with the whole family!

I don’t think there is anything more comforting than a big bowl of Italian chickpea tomato soup on a cold or rainy day. It warms you from the inside out. It’s like a big hug! I also love soups in the summertime for quick and nutritious dinners after a day of outdoor activities. 

The flavor of this Italian chickpea soup is so delicious, easy to pull together, full of healthy vegetables, and packed with lean protein! Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, add protein to this vegetarian soup, while the added spinach, carrots, and tomatoes add a wide range of vitamins and minerals.

This chickpea tomato soup recipe is great for lunch or serve it with some crusty bread and a salad for an easy weeknight meal. Perfect for meal prep or stocking your freezer. With fresh herbs and lots of variations, this recipe will become one of your favorite Italian classics!

👩‍🍳 Why You’ll Love This Italian Chickpea Soup

• Nutritious: Protein-packed chickpeas and other healthy ingredients are low in fat, rich in vitamins, and high in fiber making this chickpea vegetable soup nutritious and full of comforting textures and flavors.
• Easily Made Vegan: You can easily make this into a vegan garbanzo bean soup recipe (and it’s already naturally vegetarian and gluten-free). Serve without parmesan cheese or with vegan cheese for a warm and protein-packed vegan meal.
• Simple: Hearty chickpea soup is easy to follow and uses familiar pantry staples. It cooks in one pot or the Instant Pot and is great for a beginner cook, prepping after a busy day, or for a quick weeknight dinner. 
• Hearty and Satisfying: The flavors of Italian herbs and fresh vegetables with protein-rich chickpeas is hearty, satisfying, and is total Italian comfort food. Perfect for dipping warm crusty bread or topping with extra cheese.
• Kid-Friendly: Kids will enjoy the subtle flavors of this delicious hot soup. The herbs give it a well-balanced flavor that isn’t overpowering with spice. It’s loaded with veggies so it’s a great way to get the kids eating a few servings of their recommended veggies in just one big bowl of soup.

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🥘 Ingredients

Italian chickpea tomato soup uses delicious, fresh, and simple ingredients, found at most grocery stores! For the full ingredient list and nutritional information, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• Vegetables: This Italian chickpea stew has a well-rounded array of fresh vegetables including red onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and spinach. We saute them in extra virgin olive oil to make a great base for this recipe. You can also use yellow onions instead of red.
• Vegetable Broth: Vegetable stock or broth is a great starting point for comforting and savory soup, lower-sodium varieties will allow you to season the soup to your preference. 
• Crushed Tomatoes: The broth of this easy chickpea tomato soup is made from a combination of vegetable broth and a large can of crushed tomatoes for deep vegetable flavor. You can also use fire-roasted tomatoes for a smokier flavor.
• Canned Chickpeas: One of my favorite favorite pantry staples, hearty chickpeas are the star of this Italian chickpea tomato stew! You’ll need two 15-ounce cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed.
• Italian Herbs & Bay Leaves: Dried Italian herb mix delivers a variety of spices in one ingredient. I like to use a salt-free herb blend. Whole dried bay leaves add a subtle flavor as the soup simmers, remove before serving.
• Fresh Rosemary, Fresh Basil, Salt, Pepper: Fresh sprigs of rosemary have a comforting aroma and flavor that compliments the chickpeas, remove the sprig before serving. Basil adds warm herby sweetness to any dish and is delicious alongside the tomatoes in this soup. Add salt & pepper to taste – don’t skimp on these two ingredients! I recommend using kosher salt if possible.
• Parmesan Cheese: Optional, for a topping. For a vegan chickpea soup, use vegan parmesan.

🍲 Ingredient Substitutions

• Swiss Chard or Kale: Instead of spinach, try using swiss chard, kale, or a combination of your favorite greens.
• White Beans: Replace half or all of the chickpeas with white beans such as cannellini beans or navy beans in this chickpea veggie soup.
• Dried Chickpeas: If you have the time or prefer using dry chickpeas, you can use them in place of canned chickpeas. Rinse, soak, and cook dried chickpeas to prepare them for this recipe.
• Herbs: Don’t have basil or rosemary? Fresh parsley and some fresh or dried oregano would also work!

🔪 How To Make Italian Chickpea Tomato Soup

Here’s how to make this simple vegetarian tomato and chickpea soup on the stove top:

Saute: Heat oil on medium heat in a large pot or Dutch oven. Stir in the carrots, celery, onion, and fresh garlic. Sauté until tender and fragrant, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Stir In Broth, Tomatoes, Chickpeas, And Spices: Add the broth, canned tomatoes, chickpeas, salt, and pepper. Add the rosemary, basil, and bay leaves.

Simmer: Cover and cook the vegetable chickpea soup on low for 30 minutes.

Add Spinach: Stir in the spinach, cover, and simmer until wilted about 2 minutes.

Serve: Remove the bay leaves, rosemary sprig, and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Ladle this vegetable soup with chickpeas into bowls and top with parmesan cheese, if desired.

♨️ Instant Pot Directions

• Saute: Turn your Instant Pot to saute at medium heat. Add the fresh onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and sauté until tender and fragrant, about 6 to 8 minutes.
• Stir In Broth, Tomatoes, Chickpeas, And Spices: Add the broth, canned tomatoes, chickpeas, salt, and pepper. Add the rosemary, basil, and bay leaves. 
• Pressure Cook: Turn off the saute function and pressure cook on high for 10 minutes, then natural-release the pressure.
• Add Spinach: Turn the Instant Pot to saute on low, stir in the spinach, and simmer until wilted about 2 minutes.
• Serve: Remove the bay leaves, rosemary sprig, and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and top with parmesan cheese, if desired.

💭 Expert Tips

• Use Fresh Vegetables: Use the freshest veggies you can, and organic if possible. Fresh vegetables offer the best flavor.
• Dice Vegetables Into Small Pieces: Dice the vegetables fairly small so that they soften quickly. Smaller-cut veggies also make it easier for kids to enjoy this chickpea and rosemary soup!
• Thin Broth If Desired: If the soup broth seems too thick add some tomato sauce or vegetable broth to thin it out.
• Remove Fresh Herbs Before Serving: Make sure you remove the bay leaf and fresh rosemary sprigs before serving. These herbs will taste bitter if eaten or blended into the soup.

📖 Variations

There are so many ways to change up this Italian chickpeas recipe! Here are some of our favorite variations:

• Ceci Soup: Serve tomato chickpea soup over al dente pasta or add any type of cooked small pasta into the soup when it’s done cooking! This will turn your soup into the classic Pasta e Ceci soup you’ll see at many Italian restaurants!
• Greek Chickpea Soup: For more Mediterranean flavors, add sweet potatoes and/or red bell pepper along with the other veggies. Then, instead of the Italian spices (Italian herbs, bay leaves, rosemary, basil), you can add 2 tsp grated fresh ginger, ground coriander, ground cumin, and ground turmeric (start with 1 tsp each and add more as needed).
• Extra Vegetables: Use zucchini, green beans, or peas in addition to, or in place of carrots! These vegetables will add flavor, variety, and an additional pop of green color.
• Extra Creamy: For a creamy texture, place a portion of the soup in a food processor and blend, or blend a portion of the soup with an immersion blender and stir into the unblended soup.
• Top It Off: Finish the soup with a drizzle of high-quality olive or balsamic glaze, a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt, a little bit of red pepper flakes, or additional fresh herbs.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

Sprinkle chickpea tomato rosemary soup with parmesan cheese, top with a drizzle of olive oil, and serve it with crusty whole wheat bread, homemade gluten free bread, vegan garlic bread, or vegan buckwheat bread. Bread is perfect for dipping or soaking up the last bit of the broth in your bowl.

This recipe for chickpea soup would also be a great option to serve with this spinach and arugula salad or a cheesy garlic bread grilled cheese sandwich.

🙌 Dietary Adaptations

This easy soup recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free when served with gluten-free bread. To make into a vegan soup recipe, all you have to do is omit the parmesan cheese or use vegan parmesan, and this Italian chickpea and spinach soup will be 100% plant-based!

🫙 Storage Directions

• To Store: Leftover soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. 
• To Freeze: This chickpea spinach and tomato soup can be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 4 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight. Feel free to make a big batch and store half for later!
• To Reheat: Reheat soup on the stovetop, or in the microwave on medium heat for 30-60 seconds at a time until it is heated through.

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